VANDERBIJLPARK – “It was like a bomb went off in our house. Even the roof lifted.”

This is how Jacques Venter (36) describes the freak accident at their home in Ford Street, CW 6 on January 3.

Jacques, his wife Angelique, their son Kyle (18) and five other guests – including Jacques’ parents Johan (61) and Annet Venter (62) – who visited them that evening, were injured.

Some were lucky and only sustained minor injuries (such as minor burns and singed hair), while others sustained more serious burns.

Their good friend Philip Groenwald (50) got the worst of it and suffered serious burns over large parts of his back, arms, and legs. Jacques and Philip have had to receive several treatments since the incident.

The group of friends and family got together that evening to watch the Darts World Championship on television.

“We heard something that sounded like firecrackers and went to look outside, but saw nothing,” says Jacques.

Soon after, around 23:15 Angelique screamed for help when she noticed smoke in one of the spare rooms.

Upon closer examination, Jacques found that the lithium battery of a solar power system was causing all the smoke.

The battery was disconnected and stored in the room for the past year.

As the battery was making popping noises, Jacques and Kyle thought about removing the battery from the house.

However, the smoke was so bad that they could not see anything in the room, and had difficulty breathing.

Instead, they left the room and were barely two meters outside the door when the battery exploded.

It was then that everyone who was in the corridor at the time suffered burns.

According to experts, that size battery causes an explosion equivalent to between 200 and 500 grams of TNT explosive.

The roof, ceiling fans, windows, and even furniture were damaged, but at least the damage is covered by their insurance.

Quick action by the neighbourhood watch, the fire brigade, and other residents prevented the house from sustaining further fire damage.

The Venters are currently staying with the Groenewalds until repairs to their home are completed.

“The solar suppliers explained that the explosion was caused by chemical degradation. The chances of something like this happening are one in a million. But it opened our eyes and I want to warn people that something like this can happen,” says Jacques.

“In short, the best thing you can do when a battery like that starts making popping noises or smoke is to get as far away from it as possible. Pouring water on it would not stop the battery from exploding,” concludes Jacques.